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Aerial Photography Glossary

""1C, 2C etc." - Charge rates for batteries. The faster the charge rate, the quicker the batteries charge, but this can also lead to degradation over time. 1C is a safe rate. To calculate it, tahe the mAH rating (e.g. 5,000) and divide by 1,000 (e.g 5). The recommended charge rate is, therefore 5 Amps (at the appropriate cell count, of course)

"Aerial photography"
- photography from a device that is not in contact with the ground. See also
elevated photography. Aerial Photography
can be taken at greater altitude above ground than elevated; however flight
restrictions can mean that elevated photography
is the only available method.

"AESA" State
Agency For Air Safety. It regulates anything that flies in Spain.

"AGL" - Above Ground Level

"AOI" - Area of Interest

"ATC" - Air Traffic Control

"ATO" - Air Traffic Organisation

"Autonomous" - A way of flying a preprogrammed route without pilot intervention. e.g. criss-crossing a field

"Balanced Charging". A LiPo battery usually has more than one cell. When it is being charged, balancing ensures that each cell is charging at the same rate as all the others. It prolongs the life of the cells (by ensuring that one cell does not overcharge compared to the rest) and therefore the battery itself.

"Barometric Pressure sensor" - As you ascend into the atomsphere, the air density gets thinner. A Barometric Pressure Sensor can detect and measure this and, from the information, give you a measurement of height.

"Binding" - The process of linking a Transmitter with the receiver on a craft.

"CAA" The Civil
Aviation Authority. It Regulates anything that flies (even if it is tethered)
in the UK and, as of 1st January 2010, anyone that wants to take aerial photography
as a business has to be licensed by it. If it is not, it is acting illegally
and its insurance (if carried) will not be valid. See http://www.caa.co.uk
for further information.

"CAOSC"
- Congested Area Operating Safety Case. If you are to fly ina Congested
area, you need to make a Safety Case for it. See the CAA
website for further information.

"CFR"
- Code of Federal Regulations

"COW / COA" - Certificate of Waiver / Certificate
of Authorization. Authorization to use a UAS in public Airspace

"CRB / DBS" Criminal
Records Bureau / Disclosure & Barring Service. Many places now require
staff to be CRB / DBS checked. This will also apply to Contractors. Used to
be CRB, now it is DBS.

"ECS / CSCS" Electrotechnical
Certification Scheme / Construction Skills Certification Scheme. Bodies that
organise the assessment of workers to ensure that they have a basic grounding
in safety. Nowadays, a building Site (for instance) will not allow a worker
to be inducted for work unless they already hold this card. If you are looking
for photography on a Building Site, ensure that your Aerial Photographer carries
a card

"Elevated Photography"
- photography from a raised device that is in contact with the ground. See
Aerial Photography.

"ESC" - Electronic Speed Controller. This controls the speed of the motors - one ESC per motor.

"FPV / First person view" -
This is where the pilot (or observers) can see a Pilot's-eye view of the flight
via a camera mounted on the craft sending its live video back to ground via
an aerial. Generally speaking the pilot should not be flying the craft this
way as (s)he cannot observe what surrounds the craft. The pilot should be
watching it line of sight.

"FAA" The Federal
Aviation Administration. It Regulates anything that flies in the US. Currently
it is letting a few select drone operators operate commercially but, in general,
this is a prohibited activity. See http://www.faa.gov for further information.

"FAR" Federal Aviation
Regulation

"GCS" - Ground Control
Station

"GPS" - Global Positioning
System

"HSE" The Health
and Safety Executive. Overseeing body for all aspects of Health and Safety
in the Workplace

"IMU" - Inertial Measurement Unit. A device that measures various movements of a UAS, e.g. acceleration and orientation. It helps maintain movement when GPS is not available

"LiDAR" - Light Detecting And Ranging. A remote sensing technology that measures ranges (variable distances) to the Earth by using light in the form of a pulsed laser.

"LIPO" - Type of rechargeable battery commonly used by radio controlled craft. It has a high power density (more power per unit of weight) and also a level power curve, in that for the majority of the time that power is being drawn, the voltage does not drop significantly. The downside is that once it gets to 80 - 90% usage, the power output declines extremenly rapidly. This is why LiPos should be used to no more than about 80% of their capacity. Draining a battery too much can cause crashes and can also irreversibly damage the cells. LiPo is an acronym for "Lithium Polymer"

"LOS / Line of sight" -
Flying a UAV so that it is continuously in unaided visual contact with the
pilot. Usually a legal requirement for commercial flight.

"PTZ" Pan, Tilt and Zoom.
Movement of a camera to bring the subject of the shot into the frame. Ideally,
this should all be achieved remotely from the ground using a Video Downlink
as feedback

"NOTAM" - Notice to Airman. A memo covering specific changes that might affect flight planning. e.g an Air Display in the area.

"SACAA" South
African Civil Aviation Authority. It regulates anything that flies in South
Africa

"Section 333"
FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (FMRA)

"Sense and Avoid" - the ability of an object (e.g. UAS, plane) to detect and avoid other systems in the area. Will be a prerequisite for autonomous flights beyond Line of Sight.

"SOP" Standard Operating Procedures

"Transport
Canada" It regulates anything that flies in Canada

"UA" - Unmanned Aircraft

"UAS / UAV" Unmanned Aerial
System / Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. A craft that flies but only takes cameras
as payloads, not humans. This category includes Remote controlled Helicopters
and ‘planes, kites and blimps as well as the newer custom UAV devices

"VFR" - Visual Flight Rules

"Video Downlink" A method
whereby the user on the ground can see exactly what is being framed by the
camera before the shot is taken. For ground based systems, this can be via
a radio link or cable link. For flying platforms this is achieved via a radio
link.

"VLOS" - Vertical line of
sight

"VMC" - Visual Meteorlogical
Conditions

"VTOL" - Vertical Take off
and Landing

"Waypoint" - If you imaging a route on a map that you want to fly, a Waypoint is a marker on the map that denotes, say, a change in direction. These can be programmed into a UAS to allow it to fly an autonomous route, which can be more accurate than a pilot observing.